Sputnik Photo Agency/ Reuters The Kremlin is asking for an apology from Fox News after host Bill O'Reilly called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer.”

In a statementon Monday, the Kremlin called OReillys words inexcusable.

We believe that such a statement by the Fox News host was insulting and impermissible, a Russian government statement said. We would prefer to hear apologies addressed to the president from such a respectable television network.

A Fox News spokesperson told The Huffington Post that OReilly will address the Kremlins request on his program Monday night.

Trump has previously defended Putin by waving off accusations that the Russian president is responsible for the deaths of his critics and foes. When MSNBC host Joe Scarborough accused Putin in 2015 of orchestrating the assassination of journalists, the then-presidential nominee was nonchalant.

He kills journalists that dont agree with him, Scarborough said.

Well, I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, Trump replied.

On Monday, the Morning Joe host replayed that interview and asserted that there is no similarity between Putins actions and those of the United States.

How do you compare a country whose leader assassinates journalists, a countrys leader who assassinates political challengers we saw one found dead in the street across from the Kremlin a year ago who jails economic challengers, who has an authoritarian regime that has put everyone on notice? Scarborough asked. It was disturbing enough a year ago. It is amazing now, as president of the U.S ., that hes still doing this.

At least 34 journalists have been murdered in Russia since Putin took power in 2000, fact-checking website PolitiFact has reported, quoting records on press rights violations collected by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Moscow-based Glasnost Defense Foundation. Some of the alleged victims were found knife, shooting, and poisoned.

While there appears to be no proof directly connecting Putin to the murders, press freedom proponents emphasize that a political climate that is hostile to journalists constructs it far more likely that they will be killed with impunity.

Last week, it was reported that Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who virtually succumbed of a suspected poisoning two years ago, has been hospitalized for organ failure.

Vladimir Putin does not deserve any benefit of the doubt here, devoted how commonplace political assassinations and poisonings have become under his regime, Sen. Marco Rubio( R-Fla .) said in a statement. I am praying that Kara-Murzas condition improves, and I urge the Trump Administration, including Secretary of State Tillerson, to build Kara-Murzas cause Americas cause, question Russian authorities about this, and ultimately hold Putin accountable if he was targeted by the regime.